Bangladesh pulled off a thrilling coup to stay alive in the tri-series, handing South Africa a second successive defeat in Harare. Their slew of spin bowlers restricted South Africa to a below-par total in almost subcontinent conditions before Bangladesh's batsmen, led by Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah, chased it down in nervy fashion.

South Africa chose to bat but found the going tough on a slow, sticky pitch. Mushfiqur Rahim quickly realised spin was his most potent weapon and used all his options. South Africa were tied down by both left-arm and offspinners. In contrast, Bangladesh were able to score more easily against an inconsistent South African attack that gave away eight wides and two no-balls despite not having many to defend.

Chasing 130, Junaid Siddique, who replaced Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order, had a short stay. He scored 5 before top-edging Marchant de Lange to third man. Ashraful, however, played an uncharacteristically mature innings to steer the chase.

Ashraful took on left-arm spinner Robin Peterson and scored three boundaries in his second over, showing off the cut, drive and sweep. Then followed a bizarre over from Marchant de Lange, which cost 18 runs. It contained five wides, a short delivery that Anamul Haque pulled for four, a yorker that had Anamul lbw, a peach of an outswinger, and two half volleys that Ashraful hit for four.

De Lange's over was illustrative of the entire South African attack, which bowled some unplayable deliveries and some very poor ones. They were guilty of two lengths, too short and too full. But the spin of Peterson and Faf du Plessis, as well as an improved showing from Wayne Parnell, kept them in the game until the final over.

Ashraful and Mushfiqur added 41 runs for the third wicket and put Bangladesh ahead. Parnell muscled South Africa back into the contest when Mushfiqur gloved an attempted hook and was caught behind, and Nasir Hossain was caught at fine-leg playing the same shot in the same over.

Du Plessis stemmed the run flow and Ashraful gave it away on 40, when he hit the ball to Chris Morris at long-on. Mahmudullah had to calm Ziaur Rahman, with whom he shared a 40-run stand for the sixth wicket, and guide Bangladesh to the end. He did not complete the job, though, falling when six runs were needed.

Farhad Reza caused some late jitters when he hit a full toss to deep midwicket but Rahman was on hand to achieve the target.

South Africa had needed a batsman in the mould of Ashraful or Mahmudullah but their line-up was uncomfortable from the start of their innings.

Du Plessis, a replacement for Richard Levi, opened the batting with Hashim Amla for the first time in the tournament but could not replicate his good IPL form. He lost composure when he tried to hit an Elias Sunny slower-ball over long on but got a leading edge to Rahman at mid-on. Bangladesh prised open the South African line-up thereafter, using the turn to their advantage. Colin Ingram offered Mahmudullah a return catch and Amla was run out two balls later. Apart from overthrows, the fielding kept South Africa boundary-less during those five overs when three wickets fell.

Nasir Hossain got his first bowl of the tournament and Justin Ontong decided he was the man to target. He slog swept Hossain for six, the only one of his 56-run partnership with Farhaan Berhardien. Ontong ushered Behardien through the middle period by finding singles but by the 16th over, South Africa had not reached 100 and Ontong decided to have a go.

He looked to hit Rahman across the line but came too far down the pitch and was easily stumped. South Africa lost a wicket in each of the next three overs and only Peterson's last-over charge took them past 120, which proved to be too little.

@Ahmed Hussain Thank you bro, You have just stole my words. I been wondering about the same thing as well. this guys hates BD like anything.

FrenchCricketFan
on June 23, 2012, 22:48 GMT

As a european I dont know much about ban cricket but It is obvious to the cricket world both from this series and the recent asia cup that ban has made impovement. They are not minnow anymore and definitely they are not a big team yet. So what is the big deal about sa giving them 20 runs extra in this game ? Had shakib and tamim played instead of anamul and junaed they probably would have finished the game earlier even if sa didnt hand them extra runs. Those folks who consistently say things like ban not fit for international cricket and ban team is below afganestan, kenya, holland, ireland , bhutan etc are simply showing pathetic sore grudge against their neighbor nation. I think if they find couple of decent pacers they would be alright. Their big problem is pace balling. shafiul and rubel not good, mortaza often expensive, perhaps forhad reza with proper training would become a handy t20 pacer.

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 20:22 GMT

@lord_dravid: 6 players from SA team who lost to BD was in the team that beat India's full team captained by Dhoni in March of this year, please look it up. Your statement that SA did not field a proper team only makes India's loss earlier this year look that much worse! And needing 20 extras to help them win the match??? what is that supposed to mean? India's win over Australia in WC QF included 21 extras. So India needed 21 extras to beat AUS. India needed 23 extras to beat WI by 1 wicket, barely by the skin of their teeth in their home soil Cuttack in 2011! So what is your point exactly? Should we say India is not of international standard because of these extras? Please let me know what the argument is here, so I can intelligently counter the argument!:-)

Rezaul
on June 23, 2012, 20:12 GMT

@Lord_Dravid, Bangladesh did not play Tamim, Shakib, Rubel, Shafiul these four first choice players. So, definitely this is not a the strongest Bangladeshi team. Just to remind you, Bangladesh defeated your team India badly in Asia cup and that was your full strength team with lord Sachin having century. So, according to you your team lost to a team who dont belong to international?? Shame on your team then. Just a simple request, stand in front of mirror and look at your own face. By the way, is Dravid still eating/drinking soup because of his broken jaw (broken at Mirpur by a non regular Bangladeshi bowler)?

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 19:34 GMT

@Lord_Dravid...I'm just curious why do you hate Bangladesh Cricket so much? What did they do to you? I'm not a fan of the Indian Cricket Team but doesn't mean I hate them or the country so you need to be fair and honest. Yes Bangladesh are a weak team but they are improving and are now serious compared when they first started where I admit Bangladesh were a complete joke. But since 07 World Cup, we have seen a lot of improvements and you as well as I do know that one of the major reasons Bangladesh are not as strong as the top teams is simply due to the fact they have had full membership status for a mere 12 years. I know they have first played Cricket in 86 but Cricket matches for them were very limited barely even 3-4 matches a year. If you just remember recently India A lost to West Indies A by 10 wickets and West Indies are struggling in their tour to England so why the double standards? and yes of course India Cricket Team is better than Bangladesh Cricket Team.

Lord_Dravid
on June 23, 2012, 18:24 GMT

It's pathetic to say that BD didn't also field a full strength team because they only didn't have shakib that's it, the rest of their players wouldn't have made a difference. There would've clearly been a mismatch if SA fielded a full strenght side. BD dosen't belong to the international arena, they can ocassionaly only win against B and C sides as history clearly shows. The fact that they needed 20 extras to help them win this match lends credance to the fact that they're not fit for international matches. This SA side was a second string side, and I think this was a just a practice match for some of their players in preparation for T20 world cup.

Lord__Rabbit
on June 23, 2012, 15:29 GMT

@Rahane-fan: Missing Smith, Levi, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Botha, Steyn, Morkel, Theron, Tsotsobe doesn't mean SA is a poor team. SA players are expert in T20 cricket. They have at least 30 international quality T20 players., capable of beating any team. So, it's not an excuse by missing those players you mentioned. Bangladesh team doesn't have too many reserve players like SA, so missing Shakib and Tamim is a great loss for them.

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 13:56 GMT

@Rahane_fan: Your analysis is misleading. Tamim is playing in a tournament, in the first game against Zim he top scored for BD with 38 at more than run a ball. He did not play against SA in the second game; how do you think his form can have anything to do with that? Then in the third game he played against Zim, and had a healthy strike rate of 118, he got run out (not caught, bowled or stumped) That is not a reflection of his form. The fact that he did not play against SA in both the games, but played against Zim in between the games with SA proves that it was not a form issue. If it was form, he would not have played against Zim either. If I am missing anything here, please enlighten me!:-)

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 13:33 GMT

@rahane_fan: So you are saying more than 10 SA players (regulars) did not play against BD. That is interesting as 6 of the 11 players who played against BD, was on the team when SA beat India's full team captained by Dhoni less than 3 months ago in a T20 match!!! So did India lose to a South Africa A team according to your logic? The fact is, as I pointed out, 8 out of the 11 who played for SA yesterday, has represented SA in T20i This year, not five years ago, not last year; which makes them regular. Whether Tamim's form is suitable for BD is irrelevant, Tamim is one of the most experienced batsmen on BD side, and he is a "regular" player. His form is irrelevant because we did not need him to Beat SA. The fact is, and does remain, BD beat SA fair and square, in all departments. When will you guys accept it?

Love_cricket123
on June 24, 2012, 4:50 GMT

@FrenchCricketFan - thanks for being logical :)

Love_cricket123
on June 24, 2012, 4:47 GMT

@Ahmed Hussain Thank you bro, You have just stole my words. I been wondering about the same thing as well. this guys hates BD like anything.

FrenchCricketFan
on June 23, 2012, 22:48 GMT

As a european I dont know much about ban cricket but It is obvious to the cricket world both from this series and the recent asia cup that ban has made impovement. They are not minnow anymore and definitely they are not a big team yet. So what is the big deal about sa giving them 20 runs extra in this game ? Had shakib and tamim played instead of anamul and junaed they probably would have finished the game earlier even if sa didnt hand them extra runs. Those folks who consistently say things like ban not fit for international cricket and ban team is below afganestan, kenya, holland, ireland , bhutan etc are simply showing pathetic sore grudge against their neighbor nation. I think if they find couple of decent pacers they would be alright. Their big problem is pace balling. shafiul and rubel not good, mortaza often expensive, perhaps forhad reza with proper training would become a handy t20 pacer.

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 20:22 GMT

@lord_dravid: 6 players from SA team who lost to BD was in the team that beat India's full team captained by Dhoni in March of this year, please look it up. Your statement that SA did not field a proper team only makes India's loss earlier this year look that much worse! And needing 20 extras to help them win the match??? what is that supposed to mean? India's win over Australia in WC QF included 21 extras. So India needed 21 extras to beat AUS. India needed 23 extras to beat WI by 1 wicket, barely by the skin of their teeth in their home soil Cuttack in 2011! So what is your point exactly? Should we say India is not of international standard because of these extras? Please let me know what the argument is here, so I can intelligently counter the argument!:-)

Rezaul
on June 23, 2012, 20:12 GMT

@Lord_Dravid, Bangladesh did not play Tamim, Shakib, Rubel, Shafiul these four first choice players. So, definitely this is not a the strongest Bangladeshi team. Just to remind you, Bangladesh defeated your team India badly in Asia cup and that was your full strength team with lord Sachin having century. So, according to you your team lost to a team who dont belong to international?? Shame on your team then. Just a simple request, stand in front of mirror and look at your own face. By the way, is Dravid still eating/drinking soup because of his broken jaw (broken at Mirpur by a non regular Bangladeshi bowler)?

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 19:34 GMT

@Lord_Dravid...I'm just curious why do you hate Bangladesh Cricket so much? What did they do to you? I'm not a fan of the Indian Cricket Team but doesn't mean I hate them or the country so you need to be fair and honest. Yes Bangladesh are a weak team but they are improving and are now serious compared when they first started where I admit Bangladesh were a complete joke. But since 07 World Cup, we have seen a lot of improvements and you as well as I do know that one of the major reasons Bangladesh are not as strong as the top teams is simply due to the fact they have had full membership status for a mere 12 years. I know they have first played Cricket in 86 but Cricket matches for them were very limited barely even 3-4 matches a year. If you just remember recently India A lost to West Indies A by 10 wickets and West Indies are struggling in their tour to England so why the double standards? and yes of course India Cricket Team is better than Bangladesh Cricket Team.

Lord_Dravid
on June 23, 2012, 18:24 GMT

It's pathetic to say that BD didn't also field a full strength team because they only didn't have shakib that's it, the rest of their players wouldn't have made a difference. There would've clearly been a mismatch if SA fielded a full strenght side. BD dosen't belong to the international arena, they can ocassionaly only win against B and C sides as history clearly shows. The fact that they needed 20 extras to help them win this match lends credance to the fact that they're not fit for international matches. This SA side was a second string side, and I think this was a just a practice match for some of their players in preparation for T20 world cup.

Lord__Rabbit
on June 23, 2012, 15:29 GMT

@Rahane-fan: Missing Smith, Levi, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Botha, Steyn, Morkel, Theron, Tsotsobe doesn't mean SA is a poor team. SA players are expert in T20 cricket. They have at least 30 international quality T20 players., capable of beating any team. So, it's not an excuse by missing those players you mentioned. Bangladesh team doesn't have too many reserve players like SA, so missing Shakib and Tamim is a great loss for them.

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 13:56 GMT

@Rahane_fan: Your analysis is misleading. Tamim is playing in a tournament, in the first game against Zim he top scored for BD with 38 at more than run a ball. He did not play against SA in the second game; how do you think his form can have anything to do with that? Then in the third game he played against Zim, and had a healthy strike rate of 118, he got run out (not caught, bowled or stumped) That is not a reflection of his form. The fact that he did not play against SA in both the games, but played against Zim in between the games with SA proves that it was not a form issue. If it was form, he would not have played against Zim either. If I am missing anything here, please enlighten me!:-)

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 13:33 GMT

@rahane_fan: So you are saying more than 10 SA players (regulars) did not play against BD. That is interesting as 6 of the 11 players who played against BD, was on the team when SA beat India's full team captained by Dhoni less than 3 months ago in a T20 match!!! So did India lose to a South Africa A team according to your logic? The fact is, as I pointed out, 8 out of the 11 who played for SA yesterday, has represented SA in T20i This year, not five years ago, not last year; which makes them regular. Whether Tamim's form is suitable for BD is irrelevant, Tamim is one of the most experienced batsmen on BD side, and he is a "regular" player. His form is irrelevant because we did not need him to Beat SA. The fact is, and does remain, BD beat SA fair and square, in all departments. When will you guys accept it?

Sharky.omarhenry
on June 23, 2012, 11:51 GMT

Great cricket from Bangladesh. On 19 April 2011 in East London, I have witness a Bangladesh A side beating Jacques Rudolph's South African A side by 6 wickets. That day Mohammad Ashraful smashed 118 runs not out against the likes of Vernon Philander & Co. I then realized Big Things for Bangladesh Cricket to come. The fact that Kallis, Botha & AB De Villiers didn't or couldn't play, takes nothing away from this strong SA side with the likes of Albie Morkel, Hashim Amla, Faf Du Plessis, ect. Chris Morris was the only debutant and it was about time that they should have tested his skills. The rest of the SA side has represented their country before. Bangladesh just bowled and played better cricket on the given pitch. And Ashraful showed his class again. Tamim and Shakib al Hasan would have loved to be part of this win. Great cricket finish with 1 ball to spare.

I have witnessed Bangaldeshi's performances in last 6 months or so. There is no doubt that any former Top team vs Bangladesh match is no longer a power house vs minnow. However one thing to be depicted after a general analysis; that South Africa can be never called one of the best three teams in the game even they are ranked so with their continuous poor performances against spinners. Probably SA are one of the poorest Test teams in the world against spinners.

30-30-150
on June 23, 2012, 9:12 GMT

@Rezwan1492: Do you seriously think Tamim was 'rested' and not dropped? Then you should get to know the facts. According to Cricinfo, his last five Twenty20 innings - 3 (7), 5 (6), 29 (30), 38 (35), 13 (11). I can't help it if you still think these performances are extraordinary and Tamim was rested.

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 8:56 GMT

@Bruisers & Rahane...lol ah excuses its good to see that and actually first of all Tamim has not played much T20s that's why his record is not as high as it should be but the games he has played in this tournament so far showed that he is quite capable in this format. He's only 23 years old and will just keep improving. Secondly, Tamim didn't play because he's injured so a big lol Bangladesh were simply the better team of the two in that match but the only negative thing from Bangladesh from that match was that they threw most of their wickets away by playing silly shots in fact, why don't you watch the highlights before you make such foolish comments? Don't forget it was India A that lost to West Indies A by 10 WICKETS LOOOL!!!!!! and neither are Pakistan in their current Test match So that shows India are not doing well and just look at Bangladesh's recent Under-19 Asia Cup match where one of our young bright talents has scored a beautiful double hundred in a 50 over ODI game :)

bangla_fan
on June 23, 2012, 8:24 GMT

@all BD haters!!!!...if u have any sense of cricket then u might have known that giving extras is not fault of SA..all credit goes to BD caz they created pressure on them and forced them to do it.......pls come here only after being sporting...and who says this is SA 2nd team then why hash Amla couldn't do anything being a num.1 batsman in the world?????? come on man sometimes u have to give credits who actually deserves it..

Rezwan1492
on June 23, 2012, 8:23 GMT

those who saying Tamim dropped due to poor form, did you go to him personally and asked whether he is injured or dropped. As I said before, think sensibly before commenting. And yes Shafiul and Rubel are good enough bowlers. Come on guys, they are in our national squad not by their faces (even though they don't have one). They are good, lots of young talents are also going to come in the nearby future and that's when they have to be more than just good.

Third_Gear
on June 23, 2012, 7:50 GMT

Well done TIGERS, leaving aside five main players like Tamim,Shakib,Rubel,Nazmul,shafiul they have won consecutive two matches with four new or less experienced players like Anamul Huq,Elias Sunny,Ziaur Rahman,Farhad reaza which certainly proves their side bench capacity. Bangladesh is a better team NZ,WI without any doubt and for INDIA they are real threat. Go ahead...

gyusuf6
on June 23, 2012, 7:44 GMT

@alex Hose, Frankly all these players regardless of their quality playing for South Africa and Bangladesh are representating their countries. Accept the loss and go on. A few years from now no body would care who played today's game but the record will indicate who won or lost. By the Way, we are still missing Lord Dravid!!!!!

This is not SA's B team people it's essentially their A-side. Only de Villiers and Johan Botha are missing due to injuries. Well played BD! Hope Zim buries SA this afternoon.

30-30-150
on June 23, 2012, 7:01 GMT

@r0ketman : In fact 10 frontline players were missing for S.A - Smith, Levi, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Botha, Steyn, Morkel, Theron, Tsotsobe. And 'A' team means a squad consisting of TOTALLY NON-REGULAR PLAYERS. Bangladesh did have at least 7-8 regular players. So your logic of calling this Bangladesh side an 'A' team doesn't hold good at all. I can't comment about Shafiul/Rubel guys you have mentioned as I haven't quite heard of them. They wouldn't have got a game anyway as Bangladesh went with a spin predominant attack. And yeah @AlexHose is right regarding Tamim. He is not suited for T20s. His recent performances justifies that.

shovwar
on June 23, 2012, 5:19 GMT

Congratulation to BD....I expected BD to win this because even in Papers this SA B team looks weaker than the BD A team without Shakib and Tamim. If BD lost this game it would have been an upset. Just hope BD dont get carried away by thinking they beat SA. Yes the players are South Africans but not even half a shadow of the real SA team. Hope BD team wins this tri series its a great opportunity....

r0ketman
on June 23, 2012, 5:04 GMT

@Alex Hose: Your argument is not making sense. Whether Tamim is good at t20 is not the question, the Question is whether BD was playing their regular International T20 team, good bad or indifferent. If not then this BD team is their A team. Shakib, Tamim, Shafiul, Rubel did not play, that's 4 regular players. 3 players in BD squad never played international cricket before this tournament. If that does not make this BD team an A team, then we need to redefine "A" team. As for SA: where are you getting 8 front line players missing? How? Ontong, Behardien, Morkel, Ingram, Parnell, Amla, RJ Peterson and Merchant De Lange who played against BD today (That is 8 out of the 11 players if you are counting), they have all played T20 Internationals in 2012 for SA against NZ and India and won against NZ and India. They are the regulars for SA T20 team in 2012. Would you please explain how you are claiming 8 front line players were missing?

GreenQuest
on June 23, 2012, 5:02 GMT

SA misses only quality T20 player in the tournament is: Kallis. In a T20 match Just one specialized boller or Batsman could win the match. The impact could be even doubled for allrounders. See how Gyle, Kallis, Shakib, Afridi single handedly win the matches. Sincirely speaking most of the cases a team should not use more than 5 batsman at max

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 4:03 GMT

Congrats BD! But not that happy to think that they will be in final cause run rate will be a vital factor. If ZIM lose the next match, the difference should be kept far more (would it be?). Will SA lose their next match? Finally, BD has no control over the situation now, just to see what happens.

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 4:02 GMT

firstly,,this match was so crucial for Bangladesh. that wasn't very tough job to win d match for South Africa. Bangladesh gave full effort to win this match. South African Bowler did the same mistake in the first match against Bangladesh. It looked liked, they didn't learn from mistake or took the match very easily.

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 4:00 GMT

Bangladesh should have wrapped it up with a few overs to spare..............but they had to take the match to the last over............I hope they can learn from their mistakes and do well in the ICC World Cup T20 in Sri Lanka which will generally happen in Subcontinental pitches.

SylhetiBangladeshiCricketExpert4u
on June 23, 2012, 1:17 GMT

I dont knw y people yells and cries here !! main game is between players lol

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 1:11 GMT

I agree with Bruiser, SA handed BD 20 runs in extras. SA gave the game away in the end, they lost the game more than BD won it. Id hardly call the BD team an A team. Tamim is not a T20 player (look at his stats and results) as much as the BD IPL radicals may suggest. Shakib is the only BD player there missing of any quality. SA however are missing 8 frontline players.

Proud_GhorJamai
on June 23, 2012, 0:10 GMT

and they shouldve played nazmul, he was impressive against SL and Pakistan in the asia cup..

ransr5
on June 23, 2012, 0:01 GMT

some ppl blaming ashraful as he is the reason why bangladesh won the game bit later than sooner.
however i feel, its bc of him we won today. and bangladesh did great justice to their reputation by winning this game. always the home team has better advantage . however good team should play well regardless and thats what bangladesh proved and insAllah this is just a beginning.

dummy4fb
on June 23, 2012, 0:00 GMT

A good win by BD - but they made it unnecessarily hard on themselves. But without two key players (Tamim and Shakib) - this was a good win. SA played badly without some key players and luck was not on their side. I request the BD fans to be a bit restrained in their assessment of their team. I am a Bangladeshi too but do not think it is right to compare BD team with other Big Teams and Players (I do not necessarily consider India a great cricketing nation given the amount of money they have and popularity). Bangladesh is just starting to show some promise - nothing in their resume to claim greatness. But if they continue to make progress - their performance eventually will earn respect from oppositions.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 23:59 GMT

@Bruisers no BD don't get those runs on their own...u r right. BD require mediocre bowlers in the opponent like those in the Indian team to get those runs. happy?

Htc-Android
on June 22, 2012, 23:57 GMT

my dear bengali friends i accept the fact that not playing shakib and tamim is a loss for for you. but please dont say those two pathetic fast bowlers shafiul and rubel are ur key bowlers. not playing those players wont make any difference in ur teams performance. some of them even called Bangladesh A for missing two players. look at the south african team they are missing kallis.de villiers, duminy,steyn, morkel, tsotsobe, botha, levi .almost 8 players. should i call this south africa C?

Proud_GhorJamai
on June 22, 2012, 23:52 GMT

excellent bowling, but mediocre batting..and ziaur rahman looks like he learned to hold his bat yesterday,don't understand why there is so much fuss about him.But at least they can win without shakib n tamim. So nice work :)

r0ketman
on June 22, 2012, 23:49 GMT

@Bruisers: I guess you are running out of arguments as BD is winning more games because they are getting better, as opposed to India who is getting worse day by day. "They never get those runs on their own, do they? LOL" - What does that mean? Can you show me one match, just one match where India scored all the runs to win a match, no extras? So in every match India won, where the other team gave up extras (which will be every match India won batting second) should we say "India never gets those runs on their own, do they LOL? SA gave up extras, and that is also BD's fault? Does this make sense to anyone?

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 23:30 GMT

We should use Ashraful in the opening stand with Tamim Iqbal for all format. Ashrafull should play his natural short..he loves to play shot in air...in the first few overs there is more opportunity for him to play his shots with minimum damage when fielding restrictions like what jayasuria did for Srilanka in 1996 world Cup. Just some one has to tell Ashraful that do not play some fancy, chiki shot or crazy thing like down the wicket..after hitting two consecutive fours he should calm down and just rotate the strike..thus he can take off the pressure...in all format of the game ,Bangladeshi batsman should rotate more strikes. They can get a lesson from the winning partnership between Nasir and Mushfiq in third match against Zimbabwe.

_NEUTRAL_Fan_
on June 22, 2012, 23:20 GMT

@Shewag_is_ordinary. Rubel is rubbish and wouldn't be a regular for most 1st class teams. Be humble, glad for your win and stop looking for ways to boost the image of your side. They did ok today but they owe world cricket a lot more than just this for they are still really poor despite support.

Bruisers
on June 22, 2012, 22:45 GMT

Bangladesh needed 20 extras to chase down 130!! They never get those runs on their own, do they? LOL. @Sehwag_Is_Ordinary - Tamim is dropped due to his poor form, wake up!

FOTO
on June 22, 2012, 22:43 GMT

Shafiul isn't a good bowler... he performs SOMETIMES! I prefer Ziaur to Shafiul. But put Rubel in he is much more consistent and usually gets 2 wickets per match.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 22:37 GMT

Well to be honest I still can't see Bangladesh winning the World T20 realistically but I can see them progressing past the group stages. I can't see New Zealand whom Bangladesh beat 4-0 a few years back beat either Bangladesh or Pakistan as they are very poor on Asian pitches even though they're ranked pretty high in T20 Ranking Table. This is how the first 11 should be when the tournament starts - 01.Tamim, 02.Ashraful, 03.Rahim, 04.Shakib, 05.Mahmudullah, 06.Nasir, 07.Rahman, 08.Mortaza, 09.Razzaq, 10.Sunny, 11.Shafiul and the 5 reserves Nazmul, Junaid, Mominul, Reza & Anamul.

k4zz
on June 22, 2012, 21:47 GMT

Good performance from Bangladesh to defeat this SA side, hopefully it would give them more confidence to know they could win without Shakib and Tamim. Glad to see Mahmudullah stepping up for the tournament, he is underrated and hopefully he wouldn't drop back down to 7 once shakib cones back. Also good to see Ash perform, he got out with his usual silliness but he did get runs on the board, so he shouldn't be criticized much. The series has allowed some fringe players to be given a real chance to be in the world cup squad with ash and ziaur making a positive impact. My prefered team for bdesh to play in the world cup squad for now would be Tamim, Ash, Rahim, Shakib, Mahmudullah, Nasir, Ziaur, Naeem, Mortaza, Sunny/ Razzak, Shafiul.

_NEUTRAL_Fan_
on June 22, 2012, 21:46 GMT

Good win by Bang, they bowled beautifully! But I will feel for Zim if they don't make the finals because to be honest, SA played dirt poor, 20 extras!? and a needless run out of their form batsman. I hope Zim does well tomorrow.

Sehwag_Is_Ordinary
on June 22, 2012, 21:34 GMT

This is hilarious that people are actually saying SA not full strength. BD is not full strength too without likes of Tamim, Shafiul, Shakib, Rubel all are first choice for BD and missing this tournament. Great to see SA slump to defeat against Bangladesh (A)

SylhetiBangladeshiCricketExpert4u
on June 22, 2012, 19:55 GMT

Ashraful should be Dropped from The Squad of T20 World Cup becoz of His Poor Shot Selection....Bangladesh should have won it Easily but made it difficult becoz of Ashraful

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 19:37 GMT

@bdcricketfan... yeah Ziaur Rahman does a bit look like Tamim.

landl47
on June 22, 2012, 18:22 GMT

Nice to see Bangladesh doing well, although both sides were well below full strength. Add this to their performance in the Asia Cup and Bangladesh is beginning to look like a formidable team.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 18:15 GMT

Thats proves Without shakib al hasan bangladesh can WIN !

chilled_avenger
on June 22, 2012, 17:53 GMT

@Quddus-Mamu Well,if you look again at the Scorecard,you'll see that Bangladesh wasn't the only Team missing first choice players! SA was missing first choice players like AB de Villiers,Jacques Kallis,Dale Steyn,Morne Morkel,Lonwabo Tsotsobe,Johan Botha,JP Duminy and Richard Levi! So don't go celebrating this win which is not even an official T20 match!

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 17:46 GMT

No one mention about Ashraful i think he is the man of the match today and he score max run from Bangladeshi batsman in this series ...

Lotapata
on June 22, 2012, 17:42 GMT

It was indeed a good match. BD still have plenty of areas to work with. Batting was ordinary today. They could have won way easily. & I still believe that ashra-fool shouldn't be in the side anymore....I mean, this fellow is just not up to the mark anymore for international level. The main reason why BD played well in asia cup was the absence of that ashraful.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 17:39 GMT

So the last match, if SA wins they are through to the final. If they win by a big margin (probably ~40 runs), Bangladesh would be through. On the other hand, if Zimbabwe wins, they will play Bangladesh in final. Bangladeshi supporters should cheer Zimbabwe now ...

bappy_tauhid
on June 22, 2012, 17:33 GMT

Bangladesh should have won the match very easily..they really missed an opportunity to boost the run rates..but a win is always a win..kudos to tigers....oh, i sympathize on Bd haters

dulabhai
on June 22, 2012, 17:29 GMT

Has anyone noticed this new guy Ziaur Rahman looks like Tamim Iqbal?

dulabhai
on June 22, 2012, 17:26 GMT

Yahoooo! BD wins again! But the sad part is tomorrow Zimbabwe is gonna loose badly and BD will be out of the final.

Benny1725
on June 22, 2012, 17:20 GMT

Ab,steyn,morkel,kallis,smith....these are 5 of the best players in world cricket so I don't think these losses will derail our t20 world cup chances really...and amla is not captaincy material,Ab is brave and ruthelles...t20 world cup is our destiney to win mark my words!

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 17:18 GMT

well played Bangladesh, best of luck to next t20 world cup in Srilonka.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 17:13 GMT

Congratulation once again BD team! Hope that Bd will be finalist.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 17:07 GMT

WELL DONE "BANGLADESH" -Really Glad to see Bangladesh doing well.

Sakthiivel
on June 22, 2012, 16:55 GMT

Bangladesh have learned and started believing them self that they can win.Main reason BPL. Well done. But t20 may be any ones game cant be predicted.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 16:52 GMT

Bangladesh played really well. bangladesh shows that they had learnt to win against any other team.. best of luck bangladesh.. you r awesome..

B.Moizuddin.Gouhar
on June 22, 2012, 16:43 GMT

well dont b'desh and well done zim... u both have shown that no one can take it easy and no one is mighty in t20... confident if fine and good but over confident is harm and sa are vitim of over confident... they left their many main players out and we can see ourself the results of doing so... good to minnows they are putting up challange to mights of sa and company....

Quddus-Mamu
on June 22, 2012, 16:43 GMT

Bangladesh beat South Africa without Shakib, Tamim, Rubel and Shafiul (4 regular players). Very good performance in different condition.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 16:42 GMT

Chasing any score above 120, SA needs to beat Zim by at least 5 overs to spare to push Zim's NRR below us. If Zim chases and loses by less than 40 runs, they'll still qualify.

Valavan
on June 22, 2012, 16:31 GMT

Where are the Indians, who predicted SA will give tough time for ENGLAND in ENGLAND across all formats. Just if ENGLAND plays to their strength, there will be a whitewash in T20I. SA is just ordinary in T20, probably they can stiffle INDIA in INDIA and that doesn't make them great. Given SA record in SL, they will not make semis in T20WC. cricinfo please publish.

BangCricFan
on June 22, 2012, 16:20 GMT

Good game. Could have been better to improve the run rate. Now its all right if we can not go to the final. A well justified tri-series.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 16:19 GMT

@Bruiser and @Lord_Dravid where are you guys now? ... :)

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 16:14 GMT

Best wishes to bangladesh cricket team......................

i_amVIVA
on June 22, 2012, 16:14 GMT

well, whether BD play in the final or not of this tournament, they've shown where they belong, and responded appropriately to the perennial 'Nay Sayer' to put them down.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 16:02 GMT

Nothing wrong with this Pitch. If you think that you are a "Great Team", you can play and take the game in anywhere in world......and that makes you the "Best Team". For blaming the Pitch, nobody can discredited the Tigers victory. Bangladesh could win this game by 5 or 6 wickets.......but they threw the wickets like school team. I hope that Bangladesh will learn from their mistake quickly. Especially, Mahmuddullah took unnecessary short and thrown his wicket and put Bangladesh in under pressure......I hope that Mr. R. Pybus will point this kind of mistake to his Team. At the end, I would say that VERY WELL DONE Bangladesh and GOOD LUCK!

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 15:57 GMT

good temperment by th SA... just could'nt handle the bangladeshi left hand spinners
but we (bangladesh) also put on a mediocre team without tamim and shakib...
our main pacers shafiul an d rubel are also out of the tournament....
so its a very credit taking win by us.... \m/

i_witnessed_2011
on June 22, 2012, 15:55 GMT

I thought previous defeat for SA was onTe off case... but now it seems SA has serious trouble against slow bowlers... IPL exp is not useful for them... Hmmm... if this is the way, then many team will dominate them in SL WC..

Soykot.bd
on June 22, 2012, 15:41 GMT

Where are u guys?? who
said Banglades's success in asia cup
was fluke !!

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 15:41 GMT

I think bangladesh is improving day by day.we can defeat any team in any time in any tournament.best of luck bangladesh,go ahead we are with u.

Shajadul
on June 22, 2012, 15:39 GMT

Great win....win with a 2 overs spear could boost the run rate...anyways congrats to BD team....

W_indian
on June 22, 2012, 15:31 GMT

Great to hear BD won against a top ranking team. i believe BD should rank above WI. WI playing poor cricket it should be classified in to the associated team. even Afghanistan playing better OD cricket than WI.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 15:30 GMT

It was an easy game that was made difficult by BD batters.

rajeen
on June 22, 2012, 15:27 GMT

Though bd win but still lots of improvements are needed. Very immatured batting today. But without Tamim & Shakib this win must give confidence :)

seansie78
on June 22, 2012, 15:06 GMT

I am befuddled. South Africa sent boys to do a mans job! All credit to Bangladesh for executing their plans though the temperament of certain key personnel leaves much to. E desired. Rash shots panic and unjustifiable singles early costing them a match they needed to win. Zimbabwe. Ow need to play well to stay in it and play the final, they should have put Bangladesh out of their misery in the previous match but failed. Bangladesh vs zimbabwe final would be just what the doctor ordered! Would love to see zim chase a total tomorrow, maybe a chance for Craig ervine and middle order co. show reason for their inclusion in the squad. Great series , oppps!? Non-series!

EnglishCricket
on June 22, 2012, 15:04 GMT

Funny some people before the start of this tournament said that South Africa will run away with it well South Africa may now get knocked out of it tomorrow. But congratulations to Bangladesh and also Zimbabwe for beating this yet strong and favourite South Africa Team and that's probably why the ICC stands by them because they can put up a fight and that's great to see in Cricket shear entertainment. Whatever happens tomorrow, South Africa most certainly didn't find it comfortable and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe should be proud of that. The ICC should consider Tri-Quad Series especially in T20s for the future but I just want to say that Ashraful who is a clear talent from Bangladesh played well today but yet again throws his wicket away. If he doesn't do such silly things than he would've been a top class batsman. I just don't understand how he got 5 Test centuries the way he plays but anyway, great win Bangladesh and enjoy it whatever happens in the final group game between ZIM-SOUTH.

SHOVON_BD
on June 22, 2012, 14:54 GMT

well done tigers! it is good to see they are playing well without having some key players.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:50 GMT

Well Done Bangladesh! Great win but the impressive thing about this win was that Bangladesh though they were a little hesitant at times especially towards the end yet kept their composure and that got them the win. Though I still got to admit, can't see Bangladesh progressing to the final because of net run rate but the fact is that these last two wins prove and puts to rest that their Asia Cup performance was NOT a fluke. Yes South Africa didn't have their best 11 but neither did Bangladesh but Bangladesh were still up against the likes of Amla, Du Plussis, Parnell, Peterson etc etc all currently playing in South Africa's T20s, ODIs and Tests plus we did it away from home.

GreenQuest
on June 22, 2012, 14:47 GMT

Good to see that Ash and Mahmudullah is coming back gradually. Zia is another emerging player from Bangla side. The experiment goes well so far with out big stars, which will hold their esteem. One thing they need to learn, not to be sloppy until the last ball is played! An easy win could be turned in to a difficult one in a over in T-20.

Fogu
on June 22, 2012, 14:47 GMT

Excellent win. Wish they had won with more overs to spare. I am not sure how tie breakers work but if SA wins tomorrow BD may be out. Good job of adjusting to the conditions in Zimbabwe. Glad they showed the ability to bounce back after two early losses. Shows they are improving.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:44 GMT

where are the critics now bd won without tamim, sakib, rubel, nazmul all front line batsman and bowlers

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:42 GMT

R these T20 Internationals ?

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:41 GMT

Waww what a great match!. All the credit goes to BD bowler's. SA bowling was good too but not enough to stop Bangladesh.

muatasim_bd
on June 22, 2012, 14:40 GMT

@Bruisers and @Lord_Dravid, where are you guys now?

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:37 GMT

Great win tigers...........

Quddus-Mamu
on June 22, 2012, 14:35 GMT

I'm looking for Lord_Dravid. Sky is still blue and Bangladesh just won the match again.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:35 GMT

Well played Bangladesh. To beat a team like South Africa, in their home turf is a tough ask, which even other top ranked international teams struggles to do. Furthermore, the more often Bangladesh plays, the more experience they will gain. It will also help them learn about their game and help them develop their skills. Lastly, Cricket fans from other nations should show support for Bangladesh, not find faults or belittle it to feel good about their respective teams. Onwards and upwards Bangladesh.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:31 GMT

lol SA...................

Keithnkin
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Congratulations BD. I wish it was qucker than it actually was. Where are the likes of Lord Drvid when we need them most?

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Pathetic that SA can field teams that can't even compete against ZIM or Bangladesh... absolutely hopeless... an ominous sign of where SA cricket is going under Kirsten and Donald. I fail to see what is being achieved here other than proving the fact that players like Morris, Bernadien, Vilas and de Lange don't have the class to play at international level, and Amla is not a competant captain. Do the selectors even watch the players or do they just draw them out of a hat? :(

MNHasan
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Without the two best players of the team Shakib & Tamim tigers have managed to beat South Africa Hopefully we will play in the final best of luck

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Winning the toss, knowing the fact, almost elimination from the tournament, SA could not build and progress even restrict their opponent, that is what I loved the most of the TIGERS from this game. They proved that they are more than capable of restricting their opponent even when they wanted to assault them. In the end, the tigers made it looked easy in front of the best opponent in the world cricket. My BEST WISHES to them in T20 WC, September 2012!

saifur.raffael
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Hope luck favors them.......Bd surely can win the tri series.......or else a bad luck just like the asia cup........

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:27 GMT

Now lets see what the critics got for Bangladesh....

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:22 GMT

MashaAllah, Long live Bangladeshi Tigers.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:22 GMT

THIS IS WHAT WE ALWAYS SAY THE DIFF BETWEEN THESE BIG NATIONS AND ZIM OR BANGLADESH IS SMALL.SA HAVE KALLIS AND STEYN,ENG GOT SWANN AND KEVIN.SO TO SAY THEY CANT PLAY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVENT NURTURED THEIR MATCH WINNERS IS UNFAIR.ZIM HAD A FLOWER BUT I FEEL TAYLOR CAN STEP UP IN THE FUTURE.ALL THE BEST YOU 'BIG NATIONS'

joynal693
on June 22, 2012, 12:29 GMT

Wish BD will fight back in the slow & low track.......

zahidtaniv
on June 22, 2012, 12:28 GMT

Glad to see Bangladesh doing well. I hope they can win the game from here and keep their final's hopes alive. 130 is doable on this pitch. All the best Tigers!

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 12:25 GMT

haha...Some people said that when Bangladesh play Ireland in their 3 match T20 series next month, Ireland will crush Bangladesh 3-0 well not based on this performance by Bangladesh without some of their star players. Ireland may win 1 game but I doubt they win comfortably.

No featured comments at the moment.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 12:25 GMT

haha...Some people said that when Bangladesh play Ireland in their 3 match T20 series next month, Ireland will crush Bangladesh 3-0 well not based on this performance by Bangladesh without some of their star players. Ireland may win 1 game but I doubt they win comfortably.

zahidtaniv
on June 22, 2012, 12:28 GMT

Glad to see Bangladesh doing well. I hope they can win the game from here and keep their final's hopes alive. 130 is doable on this pitch. All the best Tigers!

joynal693
on June 22, 2012, 12:29 GMT

Wish BD will fight back in the slow & low track.......

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:22 GMT

THIS IS WHAT WE ALWAYS SAY THE DIFF BETWEEN THESE BIG NATIONS AND ZIM OR BANGLADESH IS SMALL.SA HAVE KALLIS AND STEYN,ENG GOT SWANN AND KEVIN.SO TO SAY THEY CANT PLAY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVENT NURTURED THEIR MATCH WINNERS IS UNFAIR.ZIM HAD A FLOWER BUT I FEEL TAYLOR CAN STEP UP IN THE FUTURE.ALL THE BEST YOU 'BIG NATIONS'

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:22 GMT

MashaAllah, Long live Bangladeshi Tigers.

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:27 GMT

Now lets see what the critics got for Bangladesh....

saifur.raffael
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Hope luck favors them.......Bd surely can win the tri series.......or else a bad luck just like the asia cup........

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Winning the toss, knowing the fact, almost elimination from the tournament, SA could not build and progress even restrict their opponent, that is what I loved the most of the TIGERS from this game. They proved that they are more than capable of restricting their opponent even when they wanted to assault them. In the end, the tigers made it looked easy in front of the best opponent in the world cricket. My BEST WISHES to them in T20 WC, September 2012!

MNHasan
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Without the two best players of the team Shakib & Tamim tigers have managed to beat South Africa Hopefully we will play in the final best of luck

dummy4fb
on June 22, 2012, 14:28 GMT

Pathetic that SA can field teams that can't even compete against ZIM or Bangladesh... absolutely hopeless... an ominous sign of where SA cricket is going under Kirsten and Donald. I fail to see what is being achieved here other than proving the fact that players like Morris, Bernadien, Vilas and de Lange don't have the class to play at international level, and Amla is not a competant captain. Do the selectors even watch the players or do they just draw them out of a hat? :(